1. Field of Invention
The field of invention relates to apparatus that uses the steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. The field of invention further relates to methods of operation of said apparatus that provides for the efficient installation of a cemented steel cased well during one single pass down into the earth of the steel drill string. The field of invention further relates to methods of operation of the apparatus that uses the typical mud passages already present in a typical drill bit, including any watercourses in a "regular bit", or mud jets in a "jet bit", that allow mud to circulate during typical drilling operations for the second independent, and the distinctly separate, purpose of passing cement into the annulus between the casing and the well while cementing the drill string into place during one single drilling pass into the earth. The field of invention further relates to apparatus and methods of operation that provides the pumping of cement down the drill string, through the mud passages in the drill bit, and into the annulus between the formation and the drill string for the purpose of cementing the drill string and the drill bit into place during one single drilling pass into the formation. The field of invention further relates to a one-way cement valve and related devices installed near the drill bit of the drill string that allows the cement to set up efficiently while the drill string and drill bit are cemented into place during one single drilling pass into the formation. The field of invention further relates to the use of slurry material instead of cement to complete wells, where the term "slurry material" may be any one, or more, of at least the following substances: cement, gravel, water, "cement clinker", a "cement and copolymer mixture", a "blast furnace slag mixture", and/or any mixture thereof; or any known substance that flows under sufficient pressure. The field of invention further relates to the use of slurry materials for the following type of generic well completions: open-hole well completions; typical cemented well completions having perforated casings; gravel well completions having perforated casings; and for any other related well completions. The field of invention relates to using slurry materials to complete extended reach wellbores and extended reach lateral wellbores from offshore platforms. The field of the invention further relates to the use of retrievable instrumentation packages to perform LWD/MWD logging and directional drilling functions while the well is being drilled, which can be retrieved by a wireline attached to a smart shuttle having retrieval apparatus. The field of the invention further relates to the use of smart shuttles having retrieval apparatus that are capable of deploying and installing into pipes smart completion devices to automatically complete oil and gas wells after the pipes are disposed in the wellbore. These pipes includes a drill pipe, a drill string, a casing, a casing string, tubing, a liner, a liner string, a steel pipe, a metallic pipe, or any other pipe used for the completion of oil and gas wells. The smart shuttle may use internal pump means to pump fluid from below the smart shuttle to above it to cause the shuttle to move in the pipe to conveniently install smart completion devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the time of the filing of the application herein, the applicant is unaware of any prior art that is particularly relevant to the invention other than that cited in the above defined "related" U.S. Patents, the "related" co-pending U.S. patent applications, and the "related" U.S. Disclosure Documents that are specified in the first paragraphs of this application.